Trust
by MetalPrincess13
Summary: Learning a particular detail about his boyfriend has Ash feeling a bit worried and insecure. It's up to Gary to remind him of the most important detail about their relationship. A companion piece to Evolution, set a year or so after the ending of that story. Palletshipping one-shot. Written for bi visibility week (though uploaded a bit late).


**Trust**

Learning a particular detail about his boyfriend has Ash feeling worried and insecure. It's up to Gary to remind him of the most important detail about their relationship. A companion piece to Evolution, set a year or so after the ending of that story. Palletshipping one-shot. Written for bi visibility week (though uploaded a bit late).

While writing _Evolution_ , I purposely kept what was happening on Gary's end vague with the intention of writing a parallel story from Gary's view point but I've never gotten around to it. Anyway, it's mentioned towards the end of that story that gay is a bit of a taboo word where Gary is concerned, which happens to be because I wrote that particular Gary as bisexual, not gay. I had always meant to do some sort of side story to show that but got distracted by Secrets Kept and never got to it.

This can totally be read as a stand-alone fic, but it is somewhat of a sequel to _Evolution_. Also, sorry for the abrupt-ish ending. Seriously, I've been working on this off and on for over a month and I'm sick of working on it. Plus, living in Florida, I've got a massive hurricane bearing down on us and my lousy internet is actually working for once, so I want this thing done and posted before the storm really picks up.

Anyway, enjoy some Palletshipping! BTW, I'm thinking of doing a lemon sequel to this one... Let me know if you want to see one!

... ... ...

"I'm not gay."

The words were spoken matter-of-factly, perfectly calm, and accentuated by a sip of beer as though they were discussing the weather.

The pokemon champion raised his eyebrows at his boyfriend's words, sorely tempted to roll his eyes. Memories of that morning's erotic tryst flooded his abdomen with a swoop of heat. The claim made no sense, as had been the case for years.

"Then what was this morning?" Ash asked pointedly.

He loved his boyfriend and, after years of playing a wait-and-see game, was genuinely happy and comfortable in their relationship. This, however, didn't stop him from being frustrated by Gary every time he made this particular claim.

Gary tilted his head slightly, as he often did when he was amused. "This morning was you fucking me," he replied bluntly, smirking at the way Ash turned crimson and their guest shifted uncomfortably.

"I don't need to hear the details, guys," Brock said, raising a hand in an attempt to cut off this tangent.

Their other guest giggled and shook her head at Brock's discomfort. "How fun," she said conversationally. "Versatile, are you, Gary?"

"Arceus, Misty – really?" Brock groaned as Gary laughed and Ash turned an even deeper shade of red.

"Extremely," Gary replied easily. "Hence the _not gay_."

Misty grinned at the reactions from the other two males at the table. Messing with her two best friends was her favorite hobby and she never missed an opportunity to do so. Gary happened to support her in this and their blunt personalities often made them quite the team.

As her amusement waned slightly, she pondered Gary's somewhat vague response. Something about his collective contributions to this particular conversation clicked for her. "So then, you're bisexual?"

Taking another calm sip of his drink, Gary simply nodded.

"Oh," Misty replied with a faint smile, voicing her easy acceptance.

Gary would have smiled in return had he not noticed the expression that crossed his boyfriend's face: surprise, laced with hurt. Gary frowned and tilted his head curiously at his boyfriend. He would have thought Ash had figured it out by now. It wasn't like he had kept it a secret. He had told him back when they were teenagers about his sexual experimentation with both males and females. He had even been open in telling Ash about the fact that he'd once had a serious girlfriend, and how that, combined with discovering his sexuality and coming to terms about being attracted to males, had contributed to a habit of self-harm in his late teens.

"What?" he asked mildly.

It took a moment for Ash to respond, a jumble of emotions flickering through his eyes before he sputtered out his reply. "You never told me that."

He couldn't explain why but this little detail stung him. He thought he and Gary had stopped keeping secrets from each other when he had returned to training after his bittersweet win in the Johto Silver Conference. They had grown so close as he recovered from losing Pikachu that Ash thought he had learned every little detail about Gary, and they had only grown closer after becoming a couple and living together for a few years now.

Focused on his distressed boyfriend, Gary didn't notice Brock and Misty exchanging a glance. Ash sounded genuinely upset, as though Gary had intentionally kept this a secret.

"Maybe I never said it in as many words but, Ash, I've never hidden it from you. I never said it because I thought you had figured it out."

Ash still looked hurt. "How difficult would it have been to just say, 'hey, Ash, I'm bi!'? You could have said it the first time I said something about you being gay, instead of keeping up this whole ' _I'm not gay'_ thing for years!"

Gary shot him an apologetic smile. "I always figured you never really thought about it when you said anything about being gay. You never really questioned it whenever I said it."

Ash remained silent, still appearing somewhat troubled. He opened his mouth after a moment and promptly closed it. He seemed to struggle with putting his thoughts into words. Misty and Brock, thankfully began talking amongst themselves.

"Are you..." Ash finally began haltingly after a few moments of very uncomfortable silence between the couple. Gary raised an eyebrow, silently encouraging him to go on. "Are you still attracted to women?"

Gary sat back in his seat, his face unreadable. "Yes," he replied bluntly. "I'm bi: it doesn't matter who I'm dating, I'm attracted to both men and women. It doesn't just go away."

Ash's face showed another mess of emotions jumbling together before settling on an oddly hurt expression. Now starting to grow worried by his boyfriend's reaction, Gary frowned.

"What?"

Ash's eyes lowered to the tabletop. "Would you ever date a woman again?" he asked softly.

"I'm dating you, Ash. You're the person I want," Gary replied firmly. "But if something ever happened and we broke up... Yeah, maybe. I'd probably be just as likely to date a woman as I would be to date a man. _If_ we weren't together," he emphasized, seeing the hurt expression on Ash's face take on a hint of... anger? Was that the emotion creeping into the trainer's eyes?

It seemed an odd response. Gary warily glanced over at Brock and Misty, who had slipped into a clearly forced and awkward side conversation. This wasn't a conversation he had expected, and a crowded pub in Downtown Pewter was certainly not the place he would have chosen to have it. He had always expected there to eventually be a conversation about his sexuality, but he had never even considered a possibility of it not going well. In hindsight, he should have initiated the conversation earlier in their official relationship, but there was little he could do to change that now.

"What is it?"

Ash stared down at his drink with a small sigh. He was quiet for a moment before looking up, though he pointedly avoided his boyfriend's eyes. "It's just... people say things about bisexuals," he said softly.

"There's a lot of biphobia out there," Gary commented mildly. "What does that have to do with us?"

The trainer was quiet again and appeared to be carefully picking his words. "It's just that... after everything we've been through together... I don't want anything to come between us, you know?"

Gary released a slow breath, finally feeling that he had found what the problem was. He took another calm sip of his beer as he chose his response. "The ' _bi people will only cheat on you'_ myth," he sighed. "A physical attraction to more than one gender does not make someone more likely to be unfaithful, Ash. You don't need to worry about that."

Ash nodded faintly though he still avoided Gary's eyes. "But you've been with both..." His voice trailed off and Gary couldn't help but frown.

"Yeah, and?"

Ash finally met Gary's eyes and the researcher was able to see fear lurking below the confusion in his gaze. "I'm just a guy... am I enough-?"

"Of course, you're enough!" Gary cut him off. "Why would you even think that?"

"I mean..." Ash dropped his gaze again. "I just don't want you to... I don't know – get bored?"

Gary sighed, starting to grow weary of this conversation. Didn't Ash know him better than that? "Why would I get bored? Because you don't have boobs?" He took a swig of his drink and met Ash's eyes boldly. "You have a dick, that's plenty enough to interest me as far as sex goes," he shot at his boyfriend, allowing a glimpse of annoyance to burst through his normally calm demeanor.

Ash bristled at this. "Do you have to do this with Brock and Misty here?"

The two gym leaders had all but given up on their forced side conversation and were awkwardly awaiting the end of the conversation that was now threatening to turn into an argument. Gary spared a quick glance in their direction and sighed again, reaching up to run a hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry," he relented. "I should have told you." He sipped his drink and took a breath, calming back down to his usual calm self. "Sex is sex," he began after a moment. "It feels good whether it's with a guy or a girl. The thing that makes it better is when it's with someone you love..." He met Ash's eyes once more. "And I've only ever felt that with you, Ash."

Ash's face softened. "Yeah?"

"Yes," Gary replied firmly. "My sexuality doesn't make me love you any less. It doesn't change anything. I mean, yes, our waitress has very nice breasts, that waiter over there," Gary nodded towards a handsome young man, "has a sexy ass. But you know what? You and I have an amazing relationship, and I wouldn't change that for the world. No matter who I'm attracted to, at the end of the day, _you're_ the one I'm dedicated to."

"You mean that?"

"Of course, I do, Ash... I love you, you can trust me."

Staring down at the table, Ash was quiet again. His lips curved into a soft smile and he looked up a bit sheepishly. "I'm sorry," he mumbled after a moment.

Gary gave a small shrug and fiddled with his glass. "I probably should have told you sooner," he admitted, giving Ash a brief, reassuring smile.

Surprised by how quickly and quietly the near-argument had resolved, Misty and Brock looked back and forth between the couple. Silence reigned for a quick moment before Misty spoke up.

"So you two are past that stage where you just argue over everything?" she asked cheekily, jumping at the opportunity to return the group to a conversation.

"We've _been_ past it," Ash retorted.

Gary nodded his agreement as he reached for his beer once more. "Ever since everything with Pikachu..."

He met Ash's eyes for a moment, trying to gauge his boyfriend's reaction to the mention of his starter. Being several years after the electric mouse's unexpected death, Ash was typically okay with the passing mention of Pikachu but sometimes, especially if alcohol was involved, the mere mention of the pokemon could send Ash into a tear-filled breakdown. Fortunately, the trainer's response didn't extend much further than a sad smile this time.

Another awkward silence fell over the group. Brock and Misty exchanged a glance, the former still seeming a bit desperate to move the conversation out of potentially dangerous territory.

"Okay... Well, now that you two settled that..." Brock said awkwardly, clearing his throat lightly before finishing his drink in a single long gulp. This seemed to amuse Ash as he smiled lightly.

Misty grinned at Brock's awkwardness. "I think this calls for a celebratory drink," she spoke up, grinning mischievously. Before anyone could respond, she waved over the nearest waiter, who happened to be the same waiter whose attractive rear end Gary had previously commented on. Ash and Gary shared an amused glance at this coincidence. "Could we get a round of shots, please?" Misty asked sweetly. "Blow jobs?"

Brock shot her a reproachful look while Gary and Ash laughed at her suggestion. "Must you do things like that all the time?"

"What's the matter, Brock?" She asked innocently. "Don't you like blow jobs?"

Ash and Brock both turned red but Gary and Misty shared a laugh. "Come on, Brock," Gary said. "At least three of us enjoy getting them, and I'm betting three of us enjoy giving them."

Misty took a swig of her beer and grinned at Gary. "It makes you feel powerful, doesn't it?"

Ash hid his face in his hands while Brock turned, if possible, an even deeper shade of scarlet. "You two shouldn't be allowed to drink together," he groaned before his mischievous boyfriend could reply.

Misty laughed. "Admit it, you love this," she challenged. Ash rolled his eyes in retaliation while Gary grinned.

"Yeah," he chimed in, "you know you wouldn't have it any other way, Ashy-boy."

"Oh, shut up," Ash mumbled, still blushing as he grabbed his beer and finished off the last of it.

Gary merely smiled fondly, his hand slipping under the table to rest lightly on Ash's thigh, gently smoothing up and down the fabric of his jeans. It wasn't a sexual touch in the slightest – simply a reassuring contact between the couple. Ash returned the smile at the soothing touch and dropped his own hand to his lap, lightly twining their fingers together.

Brock saw the movement and frowned at his friends, looking more and more uncomfortable. "Please don't tell me you're-"

"It's not like that!" Ash squawked, cutting his older friend off as he held his and Gary's intertwined hands up to show him.

Gary grinned again. "Yeah, Brock, get your head out of the gutter," he teased. "Just because you walked in on us once –"

"And you're done!" Ash interjected loudly, slapping his free hand over Gary's mouth.

Misty looked amused while Brock looked pained and Ash was once more a deep shade of crimson. "Details?" She prompted, looking curiously between the three men.

"No," Brock replied flatly, reaching for his glass and releasing a sigh when he remembered it was empty. "I think I'm still traumatized from that…"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic!" Misty cried with a laugh. "People are going to start thinking you're homophobic."

Brock sent her a reproachful glare. "It's not that at all – it's just disturbing to see someone who might as well be my little brother with, well…" He trailed off looking more uncomfortable than ever.

"Let's just say your drink choice was amusing, all things considered," Gary explained. He had to force down a laugh as Ash buried his face in his hands, muttering "shut up" over and over.

"Speaking of…"

The men all looked up, following Misty's line of sight to see their curvy waitress carrying over a tray of shot glasses filled with layered brown liquors and topped with whipped cream.

"Oh, thank god," Brock muttered, eliciting another laugh from Misty and Gary while Ash simply nodded in agreement.

Brock and Ash were both quick to order another beer in anticipation of the mischief Gary and Misty would likely continue to get up to as soon as the shot glasses were set down. Misty immediately grabbed hers with a happy cheer while Brock reached for his a bit hesitantly.

"Do I even want to know what's in this?"

Misty smirked, clearly up to no good but Ash cut in before she could torment Brock any further.

"Don't worry, it's really good," he said. "Kailua, amaretto, and Irish cream."

Brock looked less hesitant at the explanation and raised his glass. "Well then… Shall we get back to our fun night out?"

"Yes!" Misty cheered. "Let's do that!"

Gary shot Ash a grin as they each took their shot glasses. "Wanna get fucked up?" he asked his boyfriend teasingly.

Despite the fierce blush that spread across his face, Ash grinned in response. "Sounds good to me," he replied, raising his shot glass.

Raising his shot glass as well, Gary leaned over and pressed a swift kiss to his lips."To us," he said softly, holding his drink up to Ash's.

"To us."

... ... ...


End file.
